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There is a method to my madness at MEMBERS Coaching

If you have not heard of ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ please scroll to the bottom of this article for a quick primer article on his work. You could also contact me, take advantage of the FREE 3 weeks of Peak Performance Coaching offer and have just the information pertinent to our work together explained. If not, please continue reading to see if what I’ve discovered intrigues you.

After decades of looking at what I’ve done successfully and also what I have done in a spectacularly bad way, as well as copious amount of reading, searching and studying, I asked myself the tough questions. Particularly I asked myself why some things were successful and some things were not, and further, how those pursuits were successful and unsuccessful. But most importantly, I asked myself if these results were repeatable, with consistent results, basically, was there a method to the madness.

Now, you should be asking yourself why my ideas matter. My name has no fancy letters after it. But my answer to that question is, having entered the world where I did and the environments I was subjected to growing up (not to mention I was exposed to the four major abuses that comprise 98% of those reported), and the work I have done my entire adult life make me a great experiment for overcoming internal and external obstacles I and others faced. I was able to see some semblance of success (success as I define it, not necessarily how you might), and not just for me, but those I worked with as well.

My assertion would just be a matter of my own opinion if no one else agreed or if others had not come up with the same conclusion independent of my belief. I am blessed enough to know a couple doctors (friends with Ph.D.’s working as psychologists, not as medical doctors) who independent of each other, or the benefit of my humble opinion, said I would be a great candidate for the ‘resiliency’ studies that are in vogue today in psychology (statistically I am lightyears beyond where I should be). It seems instead of just trying to dig people out of a hole, there is a movement afoot to actually help people thrive, prevail and succeed in life’s grand pursuits. It’s not just about turning lemons into lemonade; it’s about turning lemons into lemon meringue pie (and let me tell you, making meringue is no easy task).

So what does all this have to do with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Let’s face it; Maslow was just making an observation of how humans interact with their surroundings based on their needs and drives. What I realized years ago is that you could turn Maslow’s work on its head, so to speak, and there was a way to manipulate or change perspectives on what he was telling us and use it to our advantage. I mean really, no one needs to tell me I crave shelter, food, community and the like. It’s a given and more than that, what good does the information do me in the real world, it’s common sense?

Memorializing my observations, a pattern emerged. There was correlation in a certain way to Maslow’s ‘hierarchy’ and I was able to not only teach it to others, but to get phenomenal results. It seems sometimes we just need to change our frame of reference and then move forward from there. And amazingly, moving forward with the right map seems to get you where you want to go a lot better than the wrong map.

Finally, what does this have to do with the high achieversI work with? Well it’s simple, those who are not satisfied with status quo, who want that extra edge, who want their cake and eat it too are the quickest to see the pattern, utilize its benefits and take their game to the next level. Will this system work for you? If it didn’t you’d be the first! Actually it can’t not work because it’s not only based on human nature, but every research article, every time-tested ‘words of wisdom’ and every success story I’ve ever read fits the profile. Contact me now, take advantage of the FREE 3 weeks of Peak Performance Coaching and see how it can work for you! What do you have to lose?

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An Introduction to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American psychologist who is most noted for developing the hierarchy of needs theory. Considered the founder of humanistic psychology, Maslow typically wrote about such topics as behavior and motivation, and first introduced the hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper, A Theory of Human Motivation.

The basic premise of this theory is that humans are born with certain needs, which can be categorized into levels depending on their degree of importance. Our most fundamental needs are physiological needs, and then safety needs, love needs, esteem needs, and finally the need for self-actualization. The idea is that as we fulfill our most basic needs in life we are able to move upward and fulfill the more complex needs represented higher on the hierarchy. We will not seek to reach higher levels, however, until our most basic needs are realized.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is commonly depicted as a five-tier pyramid, in which the bottom level represents our physiological needs, or the most critical needs for life. In this category are the requirements necessary for survival: food, water, air, warmth, and sleep. Once these needs have been addressed, we are able to move onto the next level, which is comprised of safety needs.

The need to feel safe and secure is psychological as well as physical, and may manifest itself in different ways depending on individual circumstances. Job security and a stable family environment are two examples of ways individuals seek to bring safety into their lives, and feeling removed from danger is an important step in reaching more advanced platforms of the pyramid.

When we feel out of danger and secure in the world, we are able to progress up the hierarchy and begin to fulfill our needs of love and belonging. In the third level of the pyramid, our social needs become a priority only after our physiological and safety requirements have been met and maintained. Our affiliation with and acceptance by others becomes the focus of our desires. While many adults look to fill this need by marrying someone and starting a family, children seek belonging from their parents and teenagers work to gain acceptance from their peers.

The fourth tier of the pyramid is reserved for esteem needs, or the need for achievement, confidence, respect, recognition, and approval. People increase their self-esteem by gaining an education, advancing in their careers, and working to improve themselves.

After all the previous needs have been met, an individual is capable of achieving the highest point in the pyramid, self-actualization. According to Maslow, fulfilling this need means reaching one’s highest potential and truly understanding one’s self. Few people reach this level in their lifetime, and even fewer stay there on a consistent basis. If the previous levels are thought to be oriented towards physical and psychological needs, the fifth level can be considered more spiritual in nature.

While there are some critiques of the theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has informed scholars in many fields from education to healthcare, and continues to be applied to a diverse set of academic disciples. Moreover, it remains an important contribution to humanistic psychological theory, and is still relevant to discussions today regarding human behavior and motivation.

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“What’s in a name?”

The name “MEMBERS” is really an acronym. MEMBERS stands for helping my clients gain resiliency, confidence and leverage on their:

My vision is to work alongside all high achievers seeing them achieve all their highest goals, having facilitated the process which allowed them to gain all their victories faster and with less resistance._______________________________________________________